Thinking about buying a Traxxas Spartan but have been reading a quite few negative comments about the boat.Any takes on this and if I don't buy this what would be the best boat to buy?Have a Aquacraft Revolt 30 but want something faster!

I think you'll be disappointed in the Spartan, the hull isn't nearly as high quality as the Revolt.

How much speed to you want, and what's your budget? What kind of conditions do you run in?

Revolt is stock.Friend of mine just bought a Spartan(Snap on model).Would like to stay in the Spartan price range and speed is 50mph +.Run them in a river can get choppy by times but dont run them when its that bad.Thanks.

We started to use the Spartan boat, i like it but a few problem did happen when running 6s setups (mainly heat) i then recorder some data with onboard logger and speed meter.

Problem was the Traxxas connectors, they cause ripple currents and voltage drop that end up as heat in the batteries and controller. Upgrading to 6mm gold bullets the ripple and voltage drop is very low, less heat and more RPM to the prop= more speed im not surprised that many burn there ESCs and LiPo packs when using the Deans or Traxxas connectors.

We have used our boats some now, and i have changes the complete drive chain in mine, ending up with 300watts less power (1700watt 80A, 33,000rpm) but same speed on 6s as the stock setup on 6s (70-73kmh)

I own a spartan an absolutely love it. I can get 50+ out of it on 6s with aftermarket prop. Also installed dual water pick up rudder and ran a separate line to motor and esc. I have had batteries swell from drawing to many amps but I think changing the connectors as stated above may help. My own opinion is the spartan is a solid boat and traxxas stands behind their product with great customer service. You wont be disappointed

The connectors shouldn't be responsible for puffing the packs, either they couldn't handle the amp draw or they were over discharged.

Bad connectors will swell any LiPo battery becas of overheat thru the wires in to the cell tabs, both heat and ripple can damage any ESC.

The TRX connectors are not strong enough to handle the power in the boat when using a good set of 6s LiPo.

With my Lipo setup in the boat, they hold 3,9v avg during a 20min run, so they do handle the Amp draw. With a cut off Voltage of 3,3v/ cell and use of timer, over discharge is not possible. The Vapex 30C 5Ah packs can handle a 30C (150A) cont discharge without problem, tested and confirmed in a high speed plane that can drain the battery within 2min.

Am using SPC lipos. Called the dealer and he stated that I should set the voltage cutoff to 3.5 on all castle esc's in both the spartan and Erevo. So far no other batteries have swelled. And yes, poor connectors will cause battery damage. Not saying that was the culprit in my case but it never hurts to upgrade and eliminate that possibility

LiPos don't swell from heat, they swell from from being worked too hard.

With the LVC set to 3.3v/cell, you can absolutely over discharge them still. They should never be drained beyond 80% of their capacity or below 3.7v resting. Most higher C packs will be well under 3.7v resting if you pull them down to 3.3v under load unless the constant load is right up at their maximum. If you're only pulling 80-100a through packs capable of 150a constant the difference between resting voltage and voltage under load won't be very big at the end of a run.

The apparent constant rating on the traxxas plugs is anywhere from 70-120a from what I can find online, and shouldn't be responsible for any damage to the batteries at all.

If anything, it would damage the ESC from ripple currents under power surges, but not the batteries.

LiPos don't swell from heat, they swell from from being worked too hard.

With the LVC set to 3.3v/cell, you can absolutely over discharge them still. They should never be drained beyond 80% of their capacity or below 3.7v resting. Most higher C packs will be well under 3.7v resting if you pull them down to 3.3v under load unless the constant load is right up at their maximum. If you're only pulling 80-100a through packs capable of 150a constant the difference between resting voltage and voltage under load won't be very big at the end of a run.

The apparent constant rating on the traxxas plugs is anywhere from 70-120a from what I can find online, and shouldn't be responsible for any damage to the batteries at all.

If anything, it would damage the ESC from ripple currents under power surges, but not the batteries.

My experience in this area says, YES LiPo can/ will swell from heat, and are extra sensitive with heat that goes thru the wires and the tabs, in this case the connectors are responsible. I have recorded data before and after in the boat, so i know the numbers and that upgrading the connectors made a difference.

Regarding LVC, this is to be used under load, not resting voltage as im sure you understand, its an extra precaution to not over discharge the packs. One should always use a timer.

If you read my earlier post, im using 2p pack, so the Amp draw on the batteries is only 40A peak 25A avg during 15min duration run.

Boats are new to me, im more used to planes with alot more power used on bigger setups, but i have some experience with motors, ESCs and batts, its also a part of my work that involves design and construction of batteries for RC and also other aplications.